Lavery welcomes Nomination for Bedlington Park.

Posted by James Matthewson1719sc on October 27, 2017

I was really pleased to receive the following email, informing me that Gallagher Park in Bedlington has been nominated for the 'Fields in Trust' UK’s Best Park Award. This is a huge honour for Bedlington and great news for Wansbeck Constituency:

'Dear Mr Lavery,

I am writing to you to inform you that Gallagher Park in your constituency has been nominated in the Fields in Trust UK’s Best Park, as voted by YOU! 2017 Award. Fields in Trust protects and champions parks and green spaces in perpetuity for communities to enjoy because once these spaces are lost, they are lost forever. Since we were founded in 1925 we have protected over 2,700 sites, including playgrounds, playing fields, and formal and informal parkland totalling 30,000 acres of land across the UK.

The UK’s Best Park Award gives the public the opportunity to vote for their favourite local green space; the public vote will run until the 3rd November. The top park in each of England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland will be shortlisted before the winner is announced at the Fields in Trust Awards Ceremony at Lord's Cricket Ground on 29th November. Visit www.fieldsintrust.org/bestpark to find out more and cast your vote.

Fields in Trust is a national charity operating throughout the UK to safeguard recreational spaces and campaign for better statutory protection for all kinds of outdoor sites. I was recently appointed to the new Parks Action Group, convened by Parks and Green Spaces Minister Marcus Jones MP, where we will be addressing how green spaces are vital to building happy and healthy communities; yet sadly they continue to be threatened by all kinds of development. Our newly published research demonstrates a direct and statistically significant link between publicly accessible parks and green spaces and health and wellbeing. On average, the more frequently park or green space trips are made, the higher an individual's wellbeing.'

I'm thrilled that the hard work and commitment that goes into maintaining our green spaces to such a high standard, is finally being recognised at a national level.

I would like to encourage all constituents and residents of Wansbeck to vote for Gallagher Park and get behind Bedlington for this excellent award. To cast your vote, visit: www.fieldsintrust.org/bestpark